Krypton: Insurgency
by N7withpride
Summary: Krypton never exploded. After the planet was saved, the ambitious General Zod took over the planet, installing himself as Emperor. The house of El has risen in a revolution to free the planet of his tyranny. Oliver Queen is just a rich boy on his father's luxury ship, but when he gets dropped into a warzone he has to learn to fight, to help the Insurgency free their home.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello reader! This has been an idea I got one day that just wouldn't leave my mind, a sci-fi rebellion epic AU with my favorite ship to write recently, Kariver. Even if you don't support the ship, I hope you can enjoy the premise itself! Make sure you leave a review and let me know if this concept interests you!

Summary: Krypton never exploded. After the planet was saved, the ambitious General Zod took over the planet, installing himself as Emperor of the planet. The house of El, longstanding advocates of democracy, have risen in a revolution to free the planet of his tyranny. Oliver Queen is just a rich boy on his father's luxury cruiser, but when he gets dropped into a warzone he has to learn to fight, to survive, and to help turn the tide in this longstanding conflict.

* * *

Oliver Queen woke up aboard the Queen's Gambit and immediately noticed three things, two of which were common: a pounding headache, a naked female in his bed, and a blaring red alarm making way too much damn noise.

He stirred quickly, shaking his head as he looked for his clothes. This was so not how he wanted to spend the end of his two week long trip to Krypton.

The girl, whose name was completely gone from his memory if he ever even bothered to find it out in the first place, began stirring as well. "What…is happening?" She questioned groggily.

"No idea," he replied as he grabbed his pants, pulling them on quickly. "Guess I'll go find out."

Dressed and out the door, he scanned the frantic crew. He had to find his dad, he'd explain what all this was. An explosion rocked the ship, and Oliver barely stayed upright as it shook violently.

An explosion? What the hell was going on?

After a short walk (with a few more explosion-fueled falls) he ended up on the bridge. Men and women dressed in full uniform were running around frantically. The air was full of tension as the ship rocked once more, this one way more intense than before.

"Dad, what the hell is happening?!" Oliver was scared, not that he'd admit that. He had never been to space before, did it always go like this? Were they being attacked?

"Oliver," Robert Queen looked at his son in shock, before handing off a screen to another crewman and rushing over, putting his hands on Oliver's shoulders. "Are you okay, son? Are you hurt?"

"No, dad, I'm fine. What is happening? Are we being attacked?"

"Shit, I am sorry son. I had thought I'd have more time. Time to explain everything. Krypton isn't what I told you. Truth is, they are a planet at war. A civil war, the people rising up against the tyrannical Emperor Zod. This trip, it's a ruse. One for me to give this," the man pulls out a small device from his pocket. "To the leader of the insurgents, Jor-El. It appears I have been found out."

Oliver was in shock. He was flying into a warzone? This was so much and he wasn't sure how to handle all of it. The shock was taking over, and he stood frozen in place.

Robert led him out of the bridge, through the halls of the ship. The once pristine white interior was chaotic, fires and damage all throughout the corridors. A thick gray smoke began to fill the ship, evidence of all the raging fires. Crew members sprinted to their positions, putting out fires and doing their best to keep the ship operational.

"I understand how hard this must be to understand. I didn't want you here on the ship, in case something like this happened, but your mother insisted. I hate to ask this of you son, but you must finish my mission. It is too important. Son, I have failed you. So many times. All I ever wanted for you was to live a life, whatever you wanted from it. I wanted you to be free of my burdens, my mistakes. You deserve better. Yet, I have to."

They arrived quickly into an area with a bunch of pods. Robert pressed some buttons and the door to one opened. "Take this," Robert handed him a small pill which Oliver grabbed. "It will help you adapt to Krypton's different planetary attributes. And bring this to Jor-El only. Show no one else. I love you so much, son. Live, complete this mission, and go home. Tell your mother and sister how much I love them. I am so sorry, my boy."

And with that, Robert shoved Oliver into the pod. "Dad, no please! Don't go!"

The pod door shut after Robert pressed a few more buttons, blasting off into space. A few moments later, the Queen's Gambit exploded.

"NO!" Oliver cried out, slamming his fists against the glass as he hurtled through space.

The darkness engulfed his pod, and he shook in fear and shock. Gone was the orange glow of the explosion that took his father away, replaced with grey debris and emptiness. Thousands of stars were the only reprieve his view had from the abyss.

His chest felt heavy, as if someone had dropped a tank on his ribs. His throat was constricting so bad the only air he could take in came in ragged gasps. He practically collapsed into a chair as he wrestled with these new developments.

Finish his mission? What mission? Was he supposed to fight in this war? He'd never fought anyone, the closest he got to a fighter was that summer were his archery lessons and although he was good at that he didn't think that would be helpful in a warzone in a technologically advanced civilization.

His thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks when the pod he was in did that exact same thing. An escape pod hurtling hundreds of miles an hour through space suddenly lurched to a halt.

"What the…" he muttered, when he felt his pod start moving again. In the opposite direction.

Kara's slumber had been interrupted by the warning signal of an insurgency meeting being called. She groaned as she rolled onto her back, rubbing her eyes and moving up onto her elbows. Next to her, her lover Mon-El had woken.

"Five more minutes…" he grumbled into the pillow, and she let out a light chuckle.

"Frankly, I am surprised the alarm even woke you. I could blow up a space ship next to your head and you'd still sleep through it. Now come on, this has got to be important."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied sarcastically, dragging himself out of bed and the two dressed in their fatigues.

It was a short walk to the main insurgent chamber, and as Kara stepped inside she scanned the room. Her sister, Alex Zor-El, nodded at her with a smile which she reciprocated as they stood across the table from one another. It was hard to tell that Alex and Kara were sisters, they had few shared attributes. Alex took after their mother genetically, whereas Kara was closer to her father in looks. J'onn J'onzz stood next to her, taking the form of a more Kryptonian looking person with dark skin and short hair. He was the last surviving green Martian, having taken refuge on Krypton long before Zod took hold of the government. He lived with the house of El, developing a close relationship with all of its members, so when they rose in revolution J'onn joined them, and proved to be invaluable in their efforts to break Zod's grip on her home.

Kara's eyes drifted to their leader, standing at the head of the table. Jor-EL was a regal man, his deep brown hair equal parts gray with age and stress. He held a stance of authority, of power. He commanded respect and admiration from the way his body moved alone. Yet his eyes were that of warmth, of comfort. He was a commander, a soldier, but he also felt like a wise father to the members of this crusade.

The final few members of the insurgency trickled in, and then everyone's eyes turned to their leader.

"I am sorry to call this meeting at such short notice. Last night, a ship was supposed to arrive in Kandor from Earth. This ship was just a luxury cruiser, coming to Krypton from its younger cousin, Earth. Or at least that is what Zod was meant to believe. In truth, it was a front for the owner of the cruiser, Robert Queen, to pass on classified intelligence that was to help us turn the tables on Zod."

"Supposed to believe?" J'onn questioned.

"Word must have gotten out somehow, for Zod's defense platforms opened fire and decimated the ship. No survivors. Except for one. Robert sent me a final message warning me that he gave the drive with all this information to his son, Oliver, before jettisoning him in an escape pod."

"That's great news," Alex spoke up. "Do we know where the escape pod landed? We have to get to him first."

"That's the pressing issue. The escape pod never touched down on Krypton. Never even broke the planet's orbit. So, either it was destroyed in space, or, the more likely option, he was taken prisoner on Kairos Station."

The room fell silent. Kairos station was no joke. It was a maximum-security prison to rival Fort Rozz. The station was the setting of many a horror story, and no one has ever been taken prisoner there and walked away. The center of its terror and mystique laid at the feet of the ruthless psychopath at the helm, Non. Just the thought of him made her skin crawl.

"If he's on Kairos station then I'm sorry," Mon-El interjected. "But he's not coming out."

"That may very well be true, but we owe it to him to try. Robert Queen was my friend, and he asked me to make sure his son got home safe. And, more importantly, that data is the break we so desperately need. It gives us the chance to act instead of react, and can put us on the offensive for once in this damn war. So Kara, Alex, and Mon, you three are going to infiltrate Kairos Station and bring him here."

The three agents stood, stunned. They were supposed to infiltrate that monstrosity, by themselves?

"Your task is difficult, and it may even feel insurmountable. But you three are the very best and brightest we have. My hope for this insurgency lies on your shoulders, and only because I have no doubt in my mind you can carry it. J'onn will oversee the mission. You have two days to prepare. Any questions?"

The room was once again silent, and Jor-El nodded. "Dismissed."

Everyone in the room slowly began dispersing, until the four members of this suicidal rescue mission were the only ones who remained.

"This is insane," Mon-El complained. "Even if we can get into Kairos station, which I doubt we will, what are the chances that rich brat Oliver Queen survives whatever it is they're doing to him there?"

"What are the odds that a Daxamite Prince with minimal combat training survives a crash landing and winds up in a Kryptonian resistance army?" Kara countered. "Look, I get it, it's scary. But Jor-El believes in us and says this is important, and I believe in him."

She wasn't sure exactly who she was trying to inspire, them or herself, but she wasn't being dishonest. She really did believe in everything her uncle was doing here. Since she lost her parents early in this war, he became a mentor in her life, one of the few remaining family members she had left. Him and Kal.

"We should begin forming our plan at once," J'onn commented as the stood around the table. With the push of a few buttons a holographic map of the facility opened up.

Well, time to get to work.

He knew he should have gone with Tommy to Bermuda instead. That had been Oliver's original plan, before Mom all but begged him to go with Dad on this trip. It would be a good bonding opportunity, she had justified. And it had been, if he were being truthful.

_Well, enjoy the memory while you can_, he thought bitterly. _The times to bond with dad are all over now._

He couldn't believe it. The shock hadn't worn down yet, it didn't even feel real. At any moment he was gonna wake up from this nightmare at home, eat breakfast with dad, mess around with Thea as she would start one of her impromptu games of tag that she would start (and he would never be able to say no to), before heading out on the town with Tommy.

The cell he now sat in was dark, cold, and disgusting. It had no windows, the door was the same almost black grey color as the rest of the walls, and there weren't even bars so he could see the rest of his prison.

He had found out quickly why his pod had been moving in the opposite direction. He got caught with a tractor beam as he passed what he guessed was a space station. A bunch of soldier guys in really over the top black armor dragged him from his pod without a word and threw him in a cell without saying a word. He tried to get answers, but nobody said anything.

He'd been in that cell for what felt like an eternity, until finally somebody walked in. The man in question was an imposing figure, clean shaven with short hair that was a deep grey in color. The menace came from his eyes, cold and impassive and entirely uncaring.

"Who are you people?" He blurted out in frustration and fear. "What the hell is going on?! Why am I your prisoner?!"

"You tell me, human. You were aboard the human ship _The Queen's Gambit. _Our records indicate you are Oliver Queen, son of Robert Queen the owner of the vessel. Is that correct?" he spat the question out with venom. Oliver remained impassive, glaring at the man with all the courage he could muster.

The man didn't like that. With a cold fury, the man punched him across the face. Oliver groaned, rubbing his cheek. "What the hell?! I haven't done anything!"

"Your father was a criminal, trading in our secrets with dissidents and rebels. Did he tell you anything, give you anything?!"

Oliver's mind flashed to the drive he currently carried on him, hidden. This guy wasn't who he needed to give the stupid drive to, or even on their side. So, he made a decision. A very, very dumb one.

He shook his head, feigning ignorance. "No, no he didn't say anything. I thought we were just visiting the planet…"

Another punch followed, one far more powerful than the last one. He fell onto his back, and the man was on top of him in an instant, grabbing him by the collar.

"Boy, you are an awful liar. So, I will ask again. Think about your answer. Where is the information?"  
"I don't know anything!" he cried out, trying to be as convincing as possible. "My family is rich, has a lot of money, they'll pay whatever you want just please _stop hitting me!"_

The man sighed, shaking his head as he stood up, letting Oliver go. "My name, human, is Non. Before long the very thought of it will paralyze you in fear. We have ways of making you talk."  
After he uttered the words two men walked in with chains. A third soldier came with a cart filled with sharp objects and other tools.  
The soldiers grabbed him roughly, chaining both his arms to the back wall. They were raised as high as they could physically be, and it already was putting him in pain. In fact, he thought the chains would dislocate his shoulders if they hadn't already.

"Krypton is far more advanced than your pitiful home planet. Culture, art, architecture, technology. Before I show you our more…advanced methods of data extraction. Allow me to go back to a simpler age."

With that, Non grabbed a large blade. Nodding his head, the two soldiers ripped Oliver's shirt off, exposing his bare skin to the cold.

"Just know, you pitiful child, that this ends when you cooperate." He uttered the words as he touched the blade against his lower abdomen.

Oliver's breath hitched in his throat. Then the blade pierced, and Non pushed. And all Oliver could do was scream.

"Got it!" a voice called out, and Kara turned to see her friend Winn-Scho pump his fist in the air.

"You're in already?" Kara asked in surprise, smiling at him. "I have to admit I am impressed."

"I will try to pretend that your doubt doesn't deeply offend me," he replied with a grin. "Zod really needs to work on his security."

"What have you found?" J'onn spoke up next.

"Everything. Shift schedules, transfers, everything we need to know to form a plan to get on that super prison."

"Shift schedules…" Alex mused, before she reached a realization. "So, we get onto one of those transfer ships…"

"Steal a few uniforms…" Mon-El added.

"Pretend to be guards, get to the prison, and free Oliver Queen." Kara finished. "Perfect."

"Luckily, the time tables align. There is a transfer in three days. It's a small window, getting on to that ship without getting spotted or caught on any of the station's sensors, but if it works it's our best shot on that station."

Kara smiled, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Thank you, Winn. Now, we should get ready. Time for a prison break!"

J'onn shook his head, though the corners of his mouth did slightly tug upwards. He turned, and everyone dispersed to go prepare for their mission.

Kara had been on a few missions with the Insurgency, but she was still newer. This would be her biggest chance to prove herself, prove that she was more than just related to the leaders of this rebellion. And a person's life hung in the balance, someone who needed their help. She wondered what he was like, who this Oliver Queen was and why he was trusted with something so important.

"What's got you thinking?" Alex asked from behind her, and Kara turned and gave a small smile to her sister.

"About this mission. About how there's a person up there who they're doing Rao knows what to, and it's our responsibility to save him."

"The mission is the data," Alex reminded. "I hope he's still alive, he's a young guy who just lost his dad. We can only imagine what he's going through. But the data has to come first, or his dad's sacrifice means nothing."

Kara nodded, attempting to steel herself. "You're right. But I think his dad would view it as for nothing if he didn't protect his son. So, we're gonna get him home if he's alive. We owe him that much."

Alex placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Kara Zor-El, savior of everyone."

She giggled at that, shaking her head. "Alex Zor-El, savior of Kara. I wouldn't be here, much less strong enough to do this, if it weren't for you."  
"That's not true," Alex shook her head. "You are the best of us, Kara. The light. I just did my best to make sure you didn't lose that."

"And you did a great job."

"Damn right I did. Now, let's go spar. Need to make sure you can handle this."

"Oh, really?" Kara raised her eyebrow as they headed to the training room. "Well, I have to make sure YOU can handle this."

The two sisters laughed as they stepped into the ring, unaware of just how important this day would be to their futures.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First off, happy 2020 everyone! Wow, this one was a lot more challenging than I thought. I have a lot of plans for this story, I just had to get through this one section. I'm not sure I'm 100% pleased with it overall, but I hope you enjoy! Feedback is encouraged and appreciated, don't hesitate to let me know how you feel about the direction I'm taking the story!

* * *

The soft whir of a ship engine sounded over the quiet afternoon air, vibrating out from the landing pod. Kara closed her eyes, focusing intently on listening as she stood on the bottom of the pad, magnetic boots holding her in position. "Ship is in position," she whispered into her comm, before returning to her focus.

She heard the ship open, and three sets of footsteps step off the ship. Patience, she mentally told herself, just a few more minutes.

Finally, the signal she needed. Another set of footsteps sounded on the metal runway.

"It's time," she then ran forward, disconnecting her magboots and leaping forward. Next, the jets on her boots activated and she spun midair, darting towards the ship at intense speed. Thank you, Winn, for the multipurpose boots.

Her fists made contact with one of the three guard substitutes, knocking him out instantly. She spun, lifting her leg up and slamming it into the other's face in a brutal spinning kick. She ducked under a punch from the one remaining guard, grabbing her by the collar and elbowing her twice in the face to knock her out.

It was then that J'onn, Alex, and Mon-El landed. "Took ya long enough," she quipped, dragging one of the unconscious bodies onto the ship.

"Good work, Kar," Mon commented, looking at her with admiration. She smiled back, shyly, before getting back to work. Mon-El and Alex both grabbed an unconscious body and dragged it on board and they stepped onto the ship.

"Winn was right, the ship's totally automated," Alex spoke up as she finally had the guard's uniform on. All three of the field agents were dressed and ready.

"Remember the plan," J'onn spoke with authority, a deep sound that made everyone stop whatever they were doing and listen. "You get in, you draw no attention to yourself, you find the prisoner, and get the hell back here. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison, before sitting down and preparing to enter the station.

Hold on, Oliver Queen, help is on the way.

Oliver's throat burned, dry and inflamed from the lack of anything more than the bare minimum of sustenance to keep him alive. He had long since lost feeling in his shoulders from the strain of being chained up. He wanted nothing more than for it to be over, for him to just close his eyes and for the pain to be over.

They wouldn't even let him die. Every time he drifted towards the other side they injected a stimulant into him to keep him on this side of death's door. It was agony.

But he gave them nothing. His dad made him promise to finish his mission, and he wasn't going to let his father down this time. God knows he'd done that enough for one life time.

The doors to his cell opened once again, and so he prepared for another round of torture. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take this, but one thing was for sure: they weren't getting a damn thing from him.

"Alright, nearing the landing zone," J'onn spoke up from his spot monitoring the cockpit. "Get ready team. Be fast."

They all nodded, and got ready. The station was massive, seven giant metal branches all coming off of the center station. The center tower was a massive cylinder of steel. Overall it gave off a regal and dark vibe, one that sparked awe and terror in equal measure.

Game face, Kara. There's a part to play, and she had to play it to the best of her ability. Which meant she couldn't be visibly afraid.

Their transport touched down into the ship, flying through the blue force field and landing in one of the massive hangar bays of the station. Multiple different ships lined the spaces of the station, massive machines of gray and a regal and avian design.

Kara, Alex, and Mon-El stepped off the ship the second the exit ramp lowered, and were met by two guards and a man in an officer's uniform.

"Ah, new recruits. Welcome to Kairos Station. Typically, we give new guards a few moments rest before sending them to work, but unfortunately we are in an atypical situation."

"Does this have anything to do with the prisoner?" Alex questioned, wearing her mission mask.

"That it does, guard," the officer nodded with a smirk, beckoning them to follow him. They did so as he continued talking. The walls themselves ran so gray they were almost black, with attached pipes colored a deep blood red.

Even the ship itself screamed bad guy. As far as interior decorating goes, it was effective in its purpose: fear. It made her skin crawl even being inside it.

"As you know, we captured a high-profile prisoner. He has information vital to our success against this insurgency. The prisoner is being…uncooperative, and we need you to get him…talking. Inquisitor Non is in charge of the interrogation, but has requested that upon your arrival you three take over while he reports to the Emperor."

Kara could feel her heart in her throat. Uncle Non was here? He was a monster, even before the war began, and Kara had always been uncomfortable around him. She never understood what her Aunt Astra saw in him, or why she chose him and Zod over her family…

Focus, Kara, she reminded herself. She couldn't afford to get distracted when a mission was this dangerous.

"So, we're immediately interrogating the prisoner?" Mon-El spoke next, attempting to deepen his voice to make himself sound more intimidating. It completely failed, and she had to fight to keep a smile off her face.

The officer gave him a look all parts judgmental and confused, before shaking his head. "No, guardsmen, you are simply watching over the prisoner while Inquisitor Non reports to our Emperor. No interrogation, just eyes on."

Silence rang over the group as they traversed the corridors of the station. After a few more minutes of walking they reached the central point of the station, a massive chamber where all of the many arms converged to one place. This chamber was a giant cylinder, only really consisting of rows of circular walkways leading to each of the many wings and cell blocks of the station.

It seemed that the three rebels all had the same thought at once: how the hell were they gonna get out of here?

* * *

John Diggle stepped out of his vehicle, staring up at the massive house in front of him. Queen Mansion. It was impressive, he had to admit. For a family full of platinum spoons and privilege he could only dream of, he had to admit they had a beautiful place.

He wasn't sure exactly what he was doing here, why his agency was even bothering to send him on this case. He wasn't one for the typical rich family drama of exposing cheating husbands or finding out who embezzled money from who's company. It wasn't the type of case he tackled.

Since leaving the Alliance of Earth's Nations military, Diggle was stuck in a crossroads in his life. He had been floundering, stuck between jobs and unsure what his purpose was when he wasn't in the line of fire. He was a soldier without a war, and so after security didn't work out he found himself working for the best private investigation organization in the US.

With a sigh, he knocked on the door. From investigating international espionage to solving rich people problems, how the mighty have fallen indeed.

After a few minutes the door opens and Diggle was face to face with a woman with golden blonde hair. He immediately caught on to the energy she radiated, grace and regality with traces of strength. She was older, but she clearly took good care of herself to the point that guessing an actual age would be quite difficult.

"Oh, welcome! Are you Mr. Diggle?" the woman questioned, entering a mode of charming warmth and kindness. Anyone else would have believed it to be entirely genuine, but Diggle made a living by reading people. She was hiding emotions beneath the surface, and was putting on a polite front. He had grown used to this in the presence of the elite, but something about this felt…different.

He shook her hand, smiling back. "Yes, ma'am." It was a part of being soldier he never quite turned off, that formality and respect.

"Thank you for coming," She opened the door wider, beckoning him inside. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

If the outside was beautiful, the interior was an absolute work of art. Everything was kept meticulously clean and exactly in its place, pictures lined the walls and tables. The deep brown wood was absolutely beautiful, and it was tough for Diggle not to appreciate it.

"Your home is lovely, Mrs. Queen," Diggle spoke out loud, looking at the Queen matriarch.

"Thank you, Mr. Diggle," she smiled as they entered a living room area in the mansion. They sat down, Diggle on the couch with Mrs. Queen on one of the chairs. "Now, Mr. Diggle, before we start I must have your assurance you can keep everything said in this room…just between us?"

"Of course, Ma'am, we have a strict policy when it comes to privacy. The only people on this planet who will hear about whatever it is you want me looking into will be myself, my boss, and potentially a partner if they decide I need one."

"Good. Well, on to business then. My husband, Robert Queen, left on a trip to Krypton exactly one week and three days ago. Krypton is a week away from Earth at lightspeed travel, yet my husband hasn't reported in or answered any of our calls. We figured he got busy, but my family has a way of tracking the ship. Or, I guess had is a more apt term, because the tracker cannot find the ship. It's like it disappeared. I want you to find out what happened."

Diggle was surprised, to put it mildly. Ever since the governments of the Earth united to form the Alliance of Earth's Nations, forming all the different nations of Earth into a loose confederacy, humans have been able to travel through space. A lot of this came from the Kryptonians and their willingness to assist humanity in its ascension to the stars.

Diggle personally had never left Earth, so this assignment was going to take him into some incredibly unfamiliar territory.

"I understand that I am asking a lot of your agency. But my husband and my son were on that ship, and I need to know what happened. I compiled a list of every detail I could find, a list of passengers, all the data the tracker had before it disappeared, everything."

Diggle took the drive she was offering, staring at it as his brain raced to process everything. If he took this job, which was a pretty big if, he would have to travel halfway across the galaxy to a planet who all reports indicate isn't exactly super friendly to find what seemed to be a needle in a haystack.

But, people's lives were counting on it. The people on that ship deserved to have their fates out there, whether it was because Mr. Queen just ran off and ditched the ship or if something happened to it. And the Queen's deserved to know what happened to their family members.

"I have to take this to my boss, company policy. Anything offworld is handled case by case. It'll take us a few days to look over everything and figure out where to start, but we'll find out what happened to them, Mrs. Queen. You have my word."

Her walls broke at that, and she gave him a genuine smile although tears had formed in her eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Diggle."

Diggle stood up, nodding his head. Don't thank me yet, he thought to himself. We still have to find them.

* * *

The different wings of the station all housed cell blocks, which consisted of several stories of long corridors. Each cell block contained three of these corridors on each story, but none of them were more than just a straight line of cells. It made navigating to the cell they needed surprisingly easy, especially due to their luck in the fact that the prisoner they needed happened to be on the same floor that they needed to be on to get back to the hangar bay.

Kara, Alex, and Mon-El stood outside of a cell, watching as the officer worked on opening the door.

The door slid open after a few more seconds, and the four descended the steps. Her eyes went to the occupant of the cell, and it took all of her willpower not to throw up. Oliver Queen had been…brutalized. Several wounds littered his body, having just began the process of scarring. He was bloody all over, and had several burns on his torso and arms. He looked like he had one foot in the grave already, defeated eyes drooping and hair matted to his face with sweat.

"As you can see, we have already—" the officer began speaking, but was silenced quickly when Kara's fist crashed into his skull, knocking him unconscious. Oliver seemed to wake up at that, looking at her with shocked eyes.

"What the hell…? Who are you people? Why…did you do that?"

"My name is Kara Zor-El, and we're here to rescue you," Kara smiled at him before shooting the shackles, letting his arms fall free. "Do you have the data your dad wanted to give us?"

Oliver looked at her, and was visibly torn. "Jor-El…" he muttered, and she could tell that he was losing it fast, fading out of consciousness quickly.

Oliver collapsed to his knees, arms falling limp at his sides. He looked completely out of it, so she rushed over and helped him up.

"Can you walk?" She asked, and he nodded shallowly. She wrapped his arm over her shoulder, and helped him out of the cell, Mon-El in front of them and Alex behind.

"We have to move, fast," Alex commented, readying her weapon. One of the guards in the cell block tried to stop them, but Alex was ready and shot first. It took another minute for the alarm to go off, but it did just as they reached the connection point between the central hub and their cell block. A swarm of guards raced to that entryway, and the four escapees found themselves trapped in this entranceway, taking fire from all sides.

"Okay, this is really not good," Mon-EL complained, peaking his head out to fire off a shot a guard. "Anyone got any brilliant ideas on how we get out of this mess?!"

"I'm thinking," Alex shot back, shooting from the other side. Kara leaned Oliver against the wall, looking through the many pouches on her belt for some of their medical stims. Finally, she found the one she was looking for and pulled the bright blue syringe from her pack.

"Oliver, this is a medical stimulant designed to speed up the healing process and stabilize your vitals, at least until we get you to a regular doctor. It may sting a bit."

"Can't be worse than it already is," he rasped dryly, a faint smirk appearing for a second on his lips. She jabbed the needle into his chest, pushing down to administer the liquid into his bloodstream, and that phantom grin faded and he winced in pain.

"Alright, I got a plan. It's a longshot. We use up all of our grenades to distract them and poke a hole in one of their lines, we use these shields Winn whipped up to phalanx up and we storm through."

"Are you insane? Your plan is to just run right through them?! You're gonna get us all killed!

"If you have got a better plan, feel free to share with the class! If not then shut up and prepare your grenades, we go with the group on the right. Ready?"

It took a few seconds, but eventually Mon-El was ready to enact Alex's suicidal plan. "J'onn, have the ship ready ASAP!" Kara called into the comms as they stood crouched behind the wall. Mon-El and Alex leaned over, each tossing four grenades. The metal spheres soared through the air, and both the throwers activated their shields and surrounded Kara and Oliver as they fled from their cover in time with the explosions ripping through the air. It was massive, those grenades were heavy duty, and gave them the perfect gap to escape.

Kara ran as fast as she could while carrying a barely conscious and extremely heavy shirtless guy next to her. She refused to acknowledge just how hard and strong his very muscular body felt against her side, (where the hell did THAT thought come from?) as she ran, firing off a few shots from her sidearm at stragglers who the massive explosion hadn't cleared out.

Most of the guards' shots either missed or dissipated against the bright blue shields that Mon and Alex now held, protecting them as they charged through the base towards the hangar bay. They ran through the corridor, and finally went through the door to the hangar. Kara slipped a small sticky grenade onto the door as they shut it behind them, buying themselves another minute.

J'onn stood at the ramp to the ship, beckoning them on. Mon-El went on first, Alex following. Kara stopped, turning around to see if anyone got the door open. When she saw it begin to open she activated the bomb, blowing up the doorway and providing them more cover.

Kara brought Oliver onto the ship, laying him down. J'onn rushed to the controls with Alex, while Mon-El stood at Kara's side.

"Activating Winn's signal scrambler…now," Alex said as she plugged a drive into the ship's main computer. Their shuttle immediately rose off the hangar floor, darting quickly back into space and out of that station. "And…it seems to be working. They're mobilizing fighters, but none of them can find us on any of their radar. I think we just broke onto Kairos Station and got away with it!"

They all cheered, before immediately turning to Oliver, their new charge. He survived, barely, now time to get that data to Jor-El.

Score one for the good guys, Kara thought with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Woah, this was hard. Had a lot of ideas I had to fit in here! We finally meet the now Emperor Zod. I don't know how comic accurate he is, but I do want a unique spin on him. Please tell me how you feel, and don't forget to review! Please stay safe and healthy my friends! Expect more content soon now that I have three weeks off because of the virus.

* * *

A soft, deep breathing was the only sound that could be heard in the white room. Barely audible, soft and labored and almost serene, Oliver Queen lie motionless. His chest barely budged, the heart monitor beside his bed the only clear sign he was even alive.

His survival had been a miracle, if they were being honest. What they did to him on that station…Kara's fists clenched just thinking about it. She knew that Zod and his army were bad, had seen what they'd done to Krypton but this? All the scars they left on him, the burns and the cuts? They say seeing is believing, and Kara finally believed it to be true.

She hadn't really left his side since they brought him here eight hours ago. It felt wrong, she had been tasked to bring him here safely and she wouldn't feel comfortable until he was awake, until he was okay. She took a second to let her eyes scan the young man who got dropped into a world that he had absolutely no reason to be involved in.

He was attractive, she had to admit. He clearly took care of his body, he was well built and clearly exercised and kept his body in really good shape and…she shook her head. That was wrong, on so many levels. Did she really just say all that? Her eyes went to his face, and if she were able to look past the bruises and scars he almost looked peaceful for the first time.

She heard the door to the room open, and in walked Mon-El. He took the seat next to her, draping his arm over her shoulder. She instinctively leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes drifting from his body to the heart monitor.

"Hey," he whispered, kissing her head. "You should get some sleep."

She shook her head softly, although the mention of sleep did remind her body of just how drained it was. "I should be here when he wakes up."

"Kara, you've done enough," he chided gently. "He'll still be here if you take some time to rest. Why do you even care so much?"

She couldn't believe Mon-El even had to ask that question. Why did she care? Because he was a person, and he had experienced what looked like the worst hell imaginable and she wanted to be there, needed to be there to help him if she could! "Mon, look at him. He's been through hell, and I just… I want to be there for him. I know what it's like to lose family…"

He nodded in response, but she didn't really feel convinced. He seemed…tense, for some reason. She didn't get it, but frankly she was too tired to press further. "I'm not leaving, Mon."

"Then neither am I," he smiled, although it didn't fully reach his eyes.

Just because she wasn't leaving didn't mean she couldn't drift off a bit. Just for a few minutes, she told herself as she shut her eyes.

* * *

_"Live, my boy, and go home…I am so sorry, my boy."_

Oliver's eyes shot open, panic setting into his every cell. "DAD!" He screamed, flinging his body forward, ignoring the shooting pain in his…everywhere. Quickly, his eyes darted around the room, trying to make some sense of where the hell he was and what the hell was going on.

He spotted two figures, both seated in chairs near the bed he was laying in, both looking startled. It looked like he had just woken them up from their sleep or something. One was a dark haired male, taller and lean but clearly he was in good shape. And next to him sat a woman, long blonde hair and green eyes. Had he seen her back in Starling he'd already be hitting on her, she was definitely his type.

But he wasn't in Starling. He wasn't anywhere he knew, he was trapped and stuck and his Dad was dead and so many other people too and he was tortured and oh GOD he was tortured and all of it was just way too much.

"Hey," the woman said softly, standing up and raising her hands in a gesture of peace. "We're not here to hurt you. We're friends, we rescued you from Kaiross Station, remember? You're safe here."

"Who the hell are you?" He questioned, inching away from her and as far back on the bed as he could get. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"My name is Kara Zor-El. This is Mon-El. We are fighters for the Insurgency against Emperor Zod, and this is our base. Our leader, Jor-El, had us nurse you back to health. You're really hurt, you should try to relax and not move too much. You've been out for almost a whole day."

The second he heard the name Jor-El he stopped listening, his brain too focused on the drive in his pants. Jor-El, that's who his dad had sent him to give it to. His Dad's last request…

He was gonna honor this one. God knows he'd failed to honor most of his father's wishes, but he'd be damned if he failed to honor this one.

"Jor-El. I have information for him, I need to talk to him."

"You need to rest, I could just take it to him-"

"NO!" Oliver countered. "Jor-El's eyes only, that's what I was told. I'll only give it to him."

Their eyes met, and he refused to back down. Not on this. After a moment that felt like an eternity she sighed, shaking her head. "Follow us."

* * *

Five men stood around the arena, decked head to toe in deep black armor. Spikes protruded from their armored shoulders, deep metal designed to cause terror in dread in all who looked. Their faces were completely obscured in helmets with intricate carvings. Every detail about them was meticulously crafted to utilize the greatest weapon against a foe: fear.

It was a weapon that the imposing Emperor Zod knew like the back of his hand. The once General Zod was no slouch, and his physique demonstrated that. A large man both in height and mass, he towered over most other people and had a body chiseled out of granite.

Zod smirked, a menacing and deadly grin, nodding his head for them to let the challengers in. Three people were ushered in, chained and bound and ravenous. Aliens from across the galaxy who made the foolish mistake of breaking the rules on HIS planet.

Trials by Combat always had a way of making the day more fun. Zod cracked his knuckles, staring down his three newest victims. One was an absolutely massive alien. Two giant horns protruded from the sides of its head, light yellow and winding. His body was covered in rough green scales, and a set of light green spikes ran down its spine. Three talons protruded from his hands, sharp and deadly.

The next was a scrawny thing, barely above five feet with alabaster white skin. Two antennae jutted out from above its eyes, surrounded by the wisps of silver hair that fell around its wrinkled face.

The third prison was a dark-skinned humanoid, with a multitude of scars littering his face. His hair was a mess of tangled dreadlocks pulled back, and an eye patch covered his left eye.

"Welcome, prisoners, to your one chance at freedom. You have broken our laws, defied the basic principles of our society, but I also see something else: potential. Potential to earn your freedom in service of the crown. Of me. But, I do not settle for ineffective tools. So, prove your worth."

And with that, they charged. The reptile rushed first, lifting its arms in the air and trying to slam them down on him. He sidestepped easily, slamming his left fist into its side. It let out a roar, swinging its arms in a wide arc. Zod ducked, grabbing its face and slamming his knee into its nose.

This is when the white skinned alien got involved, pulling a pipe off the wall with its mind and throwing it at Zod at intense speeds. A telekinetic, he mused with a smirk. Good start. He grinned, standing his ground and catching the pipe, stopping it dead in its tracks in a feat of strength. He pulled back, throwing the pipe as hard as he could and it flew through the air piercing the alien in the gut.

How disappointing, he rolled his eyes and sighed. The dark skinned human rushed in, throwing a right hook directed at Zod's face. He ducked, throwing his foot out in a low kick to his thigh. The man blocked the kick with his shin, spinning and aiming a kick at Zod's gut. He caught the foot, however, slamming his elbow down and shattering the leg. A sickening crack echoed throughout the small arena, followed by a wail of pain as the man stepped back with is hand on his now broken leg.

Zod pressed the advantage, rushing forward and leaping in the air before rearing back and sending a vicious punch to the face of the man, eliciting another crunch from his bones. The man fell onto his back, hands clutching his now clearly shattered nose. Weak. He raised his foot, clearly intending to finish him once and for all with a head stomp when a large fist collided with his spine, sending him flying across the room.

Zod turned around, rage glowing in his eyes as he stared down the reptile, that was now letting out a roar before charging forward. Zod charged forward as well, letting out a roar. When the two monsters were mere inches apart Zod dropped down, sliding between the alien's legs. He spun, kicking it behind the knee to get it to fall down. He then jumped up to his feet, raising his elbow high and slamming it down onto the back of its skull, knocking it out.

Zod placed his boot down on the back of the alien's neck, reaching down and grabbing both of its horns. Then, he started pulling. A sickening popping sound rang out as he wrenched the horns, prying them off the alien's unconscious skull. With a violent crack they were free, blood and brain matter flying everywhere in a beautiful display of carnage, Zod roaring in a powerful rage as he held his knew trophies in the air.

His soldiers remained in their place, impassively standing guard. The only one who reacted to this display bloodshed was the dark skinned man, who stared in panic before scooting back as Zod approached, a menacing grin gracing his features.

"Please, I'm sorry, I can be useful I swear, please don't kill me," the man pleaded, raising his hands in a desperate bid for survival.

Not saying a word, Zod raised the horns above his head and slammed them both down onto his head over and over again, a splatter of blood flying into his face with each hit.

"My Lord Emperor," a voice sounded out, and Zod slammed the horns once more down, leaving an unrecognizable pile of mush and brain matter where his head used to be as he turned to see who would DARE interrupt him. He turned to see one of his prized General's, Non.

"What is it, Non?" Zod growled out, taking a towel from a guard and cleaning off some of the gore. "If you couldn't tell, I'm busy. As you should be, you have a station to run."

"That is why I am here, Emperor," Non said. "Do you remember the report about the criminal Robert Queen, and the information he stole from the Demon's Head and planned to give our enemies?"

"Yes," Zod replied with a scoff. "I told you to handle it."

"And I did, sir," Non replied. "But there has been a…complication. We blew the ship up, but an escape pod escaped at the last second. We tractor beamed it into our station, and attempted to extract the information from the one man inside the pod. Unfortunately, the Insurgents broke aboard the station and freed him before we could get it out of him."

Zod stared at him in shock, taking a second to process the information he heard. Then, with a roar, his fist slammed into the General's gut. "You mean to tell me that Insurgents broke onto the single most defensible fortress we have, and extracted the most important prisoner we have held there, all under your watch? Give me one reason not to kill you now!"

"Sir," he groaned out, getting to his feet. "Allow me to hunt these Insurgents and bring in the prisoner myself. I will make up for this failure."

"No," he shook his head. "Astra will hunt them. You will remain on Kaiross Station, as far away from me as physically possible, and earn your life. Now, get out of my sight."

Zod let out a sigh, mentally cursing his luck. Just when he had the fools on the run, when he could finally show Jor-El how foolish it was to deny his ascension, this had to happen.

"Send the next batch in."

* * *

Jor-El was a man of presence. He didn't look too impressive, honestly he looked just like any other dad if Oliver had to properly describe him, but something about him just made you listen and need to respect him. His salt and pepper hair and bushy beard didn't really scream resistance leader either, but here he was.

"So, you're Oliver Queen, Robert's boy? He talked quite a bit about you," Jor-El began, his deep baritone reminding Oliver of his own father. "The galaxy is dimmer now for his passing, and I am sorry for your loss.

"Probably nothing good, then," he muttered, shaking his head and sighing. "Thank you. My dad gave me this for you." Oliver reached into his pants, grabbing the drive and handing it to the man.

"From my understanding, you took quite the punishment to get this here. The people of Krypton are in your debt, young man. We will get you home as soon as we can, but truly thank you."

"No," he spoke before he thought, shaking his head. "I'm not going home. Not until I've done something more…helped your fight. My whole life, I lived for me and only me. And now? My dad died thinking I'm a lazy, selfish child who wasn't worth it. I want to honor his memory, and he wanted to help you. So, here I am." Besides, that asshole on that station deserved some payback for what he put Oliver through. But he wasn't gonna mention that.

"Are you sure, boy?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. "There are other ways to honor his legacy without risking your life. He wanted you to live."

"If I just leave, go home seeing how your people struggle and need help, how could I ever live with myself? How could I pretend to be any better than I was before? I want to help, I want to fight."

"Well, then," Jor-El smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Your training starts tomorrow."

* * *

"This is insane, sir," Diggle protested, shaking his head. "You want me to fly to Krypton, a military dictatorship in the middle of a civil war, in an attempt to find two men?"

"This isn't just about the Queens, Diggle," Chief Lance said. "There were six hundred people on that cruiser, and we owe it to their families to find out what happened to those people, and either bring them home or give them closure."

He sighed shaking his head. He knew Quentin was right, but still. He was not looking forward to this.

"You were a soldier, Diggle. Never leave a man behind if you can bring them home."

"When do I leave?"

"As soon as possible. I want you on a ship at eight AM in three days. Is that enough time?"

"More than enough, sir," Diggle nodded. "I'll be there." The investigator turned his head, turning around to leave.

"And Diggle? Before you go, know that I appreciate. You're the best investigator we got, and I'm gonna miss having ya around. Come home in one piece, or I'll whoop your ass. Dismissed."

Diggle smirked, shaking his head and leaving. His captain was an interesting man. Now, time to prep for a flight.

* * *

Kara found him standing out on the balcony, overlooking the sprawling mountains illuminated by the red sun setting over the horizon. He looked…tortured. His eyes carried the weight of someone who'd been through tragedy, a soul with the fire snuffed out of it. She knew it well, it was the same look she saw in the mirror.

"Hey," she said softly, standing a small distance away from him. "I heard you're joining up with our cause. It'll be good to have you. But, how're you doing? I'm sorry about your dad. We're all here for you, if you need anything."

He turned to her, looking at her, and she saw one single tear in his eye that he quickly wiped away.

"I…thanks…" he said quietly, turning back. It was clear he had a lot on his mind, but just had no idea how to deal with it. It was at this moment, seeing him appearing so broken, that she swore she would do whatever she had to to help him.

"I lost my parents, too, to this war," she leaned against the railing next to him. "I've been fighting for years, since I was twelve. It's hard, we've had to lose people. But we're a family. I wouldn't have gotten through it without Uncle Jor-El, or my sister Alex, or my friends."

He stayed silent for a minute. "I have a sister, too. She's ten right now, ten years younger than me. Her name is Thea. I…she and dad were so close, this is going to destroy her. I wish I could be there, wish I was a better brother to her. Wish I had been better for all of them…"  
"We can't go back, Oliver. Only forward. It's never too late to be better, and you're already starting."

"I hope so…" he sighed, and the two entered a comfortable silence.

This would be harder than she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the second chapter I wrote as I had a burst of energy while travelling back home for Spring break. The next chapter will probably take a bit longer to write, but I'm also really excited for where it's all going. Please keep leaving reviews, they mean so much! I love feedback. Stay safe everyone!

* * *

"Listen carefully, because I am not fond of repeating myself," the commanding voice of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian manhunter who now fights for the House of El spoke. "Your training will be brutal, it will be harsh, I will not pull any punches with you due to your status or even the injuries you have sustained. This is a war, and it is not fought by weak men. Do not be weak, or we will make you leave, despite your wishes. Make no mistake, I will make you prepared to fight, to kill if need be, but it is up to you to be willing to learn."

Oliver nodded. He normally wasn't one for formality, or even listening. But that was the old Oliver. That Oliver died on the gambit, he told himself. He had to be stronger, to learn to fight. And that meant changing, no matter how hard it was.

"When I give instructions, you say yes sir boy!" The Martian was on him in a second, hand aggressively on his shoulder. Oliver instinctively raised his arms in a peace-keeping gesture, shaking slightly.

"Yes, sir! Jesus, I'm sorry," He yelled out the first part, not able to keep the fear from his voice. The second part he muttered, hoping the Martian wouldn't hear it.

He was wrong.

"Fifty pushups, boy, now." He demanded, and Oliver hesitated, unsure if J'onn was serious. J'onn didn't even say anything, just gestured with his eyes to the ground. Oliver groaned, but got down onto his hands and knees. "Fifty more. Go."

Oliver got to working on his now 100 push-ups, his arms burning with each one. By one hundred he felt like his bones were made of jelly, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Get up, that was just the warm-up. I'm going to turn you into a soldier, or die trying. Because if you don't learn? You'll see your father very quickly."

Oliver stood up as fast as possible. "Don't talk about my dad," he growled low.

"Or what, boy? What will you do?" The Martian questioned, staring impassively.

With a growl, Oliver swung at J'onn, a wild and untrained strike. J'onzz dodged easily, grabbing his arm and wrenching it back. Oliver screamed out in pain as he wrenched his arm behind his back.

"Hear my words, Queen. Right now you listen to everything I say. Do everything I tell you, and you will survive this war. I can see it in your eyes, feel the determination in your mind. You have the potential, but you need to work. If you can't do that then get out of here, because if you try anyway? Your family will lose another person."

With that, J'onn let go of Oliver's arm and walked away, and Oliver sighed in relief as he clutched his arm.

Part of him screamed at him to get out. This was crazy, insane, impossible. He was a rich playboy, not a soldier. He couldn't be a fighter, he should just give up.

But he couldn't do that. His father gave his life to help these people. His father was a better man than Oliver ever could be, but Oliver owed it to Robert Queen to be what he wanted to be. To be better.

So he followed J'onn, ending up in huge room full of weapons.

"This is the arsenal, where we store all of our weapons. All of our soldiers train with multiple weapons, but they choose one to be most proficient in. Take a second, look around, and choose your weapon."

Nodding, Oliver walked around the room. Scanning the shelves. A vast array of rifles and other alien weaponry lined the shelves, blades and other melee weapons sat on display. None of them really called to him, until he saw it.

In the corner, seemingly untouched for who knows how long sat a beautiful black compound bow, and a quiver of arrows. Oliver made a B-line for it, reaching over and picking it up to test the weight. It fit into his hand perfectly, and he adored the weight. This was it, this was the one. He reached to the quiver, strapping it over his shoulder and walked to J'onn.

J'onn scoffed looking at him with wide eyes. "A bow? Really? Can you even fire a—"

Before he could finish the sentence Oliver drew an arrow, firing it into one of the three targets in the room. It hit a bullseye. He pulled out a second arrow quickly, firing it at the medium distance target. It got close to a bullseye, but not quite. He then fired a third arrow at the farthest target, hitting it in the middle of the target board. Not very close to a bullseye, but not too far off either.

"Alright, I admit I'm impressed. Seems you've chosen your weapon, then. Make sure you don't regret it."

And with that, training was on.

* * *

Frustration was an understatement to Kara's current feelings.

Oliver had been training with them for almost a whole month now, and she had made absolutely zero progress in getting him to open up. She had tried everything: sparring together, trying to get him to eat with them at breaks, none of it was working. She was going insane!

Her mind was racing, so much she couldn't sleep despite it being so late at night it was almost morning. Desperate to do something, she decided to head to the simulation room, to blow off some steam with some training, so quietly she got out of bed, kissing Mon-El on the forehead before throwing on some fatigues and heading over.

The walk to the room gave her some time to think. She was running out of strategies with Oliver, and it was eating at her. He was so…cold. She got why, really. He had been through so much in such a short time. She just didn't get why he wouldn't TALK to anyone about it. That always made her feel better, was it different for humans?

She let out an audible sigh, before finally arriving at the facility's training room. She stepped inside, heading straight for the simulation room but was surprised to see it locked. Someone was using it, this late? She was curious, so she went to the observation room to check it out.

When she stepped into the observation room, she was shocked to find J'onn there, watching. "Can't sleep either?"

She shook her head, standing next to him before turning to watch. "Seems our new guest can't either," J'onn commented, and Kara looked to see in fact it was Oliver Queen taking on the simulator room.

"What setting?" She questioned, and J'onn just held up four fingers. She raised her eyes in shock. "He just started! He should be at three at the most!"

"That's what I told him when he earned entry into the room. But every night since he could he's been in here, and been at this setting for most of them. He has no idea I know, but I've been monitoring it to make sure he doesn't get himself killed. He's gifted, though, I must admit. He's been close to winning multiple times."

Kara couldn't believe it, but she looked down to see all the same.

* * *

Oliver Queen moved like a man possessed, quick and frantic but with a certain grace. He leapt over a barrier, twisting his body midair to grab an arrow and do a corkscrew flip so he could fire the arrow off at a pursuing drone. It hit the silver orb, straight in its red eye, and he landed on one knee. He rolled forward, notching another arrow and firing at another drone.

The room was a giant silver room, with what seemed like a hundred panels all over the walls. Each panel could move and pull out, and on the fourth setting they went in and out in a sequence you had to figure out. The objective was to get to the platform suspended high above the room, and grab the flag.

He sprinted forward at an angle, running towards the wall. He took off the ground, using his right foot to push him off the wall and towards one of the moving wall panels. He landed on it, and was immediately on the move again.

It was mesmerizing, Kara could hardly believe how new he was due to his skill and efficiency. He was able to cover up any mistakes or flimsy footing well enough she barely noticed. Clearly he had done this many times, it was almost like he had it memorized.

She noticed his mistake before he did. The simulation starts with a bunch of drones, but when the trainee gets close to the end it fires out another one that is meant to intercept your jump to the last platform. He clearly knew it was coming, but based his dodge pattern on where it came from last time.

He didn't know that one's path changed each time. So when he twisted his body to dodge it he left himself open to get hit due to its new trajectory. The drone collided with him, knocking him off his path and sending him crashing to the ground below. He laid still for a second, before getting up slowly and letting out a roar of frustration and slamming his fist against the wall.

"You're not supposed to do this one alone," she commented worriedly. "It was designed to have a partner to help you get through it, to take down the drones while you scaled the walls."

"Well, he hasn't exactly been social has he?" J'onn questioned. "But he's going do serious damage if he keeps this up. I should step in."

That gave Kara an idea. "No. Let me go down there. This could be how we get him to open up and let us help him."

This was getting ridiculous, he thought as he stood there, catching his breath. He was so close, he could feel it. He had been working non stop since he got here, going at 100% at training sessions and doing his own training too and it was working dividends. He knew he was improving, he could hold his own with J'onn now for much longer than before and his archery aim was improving immensely, and he was good to begin with.

Yet, no matter how hard he worked he could not beat this simulation. It was killing him, every time he got closer and closer yet something new always popped up to screw with him. It almost felt like the room was just screwing with him out of some sick pleasure.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath. Honestly, he was just glad for the distraction. Thinking about drone flight patterns prevented him from thinking about his family, or home, or Tommy and Laurel.

"Hey, that was amazing work," a voice sounded in the room, and his head shot over to see the face of Kara Zor-El staring at him, smiling. "Especially for someone so new."

"Thanks," he grunted out quietly. "Not close enough. I still can't get passed it."

"You're not supposed to," she replied quickly, and his eyebrow shot up at that. What was that supposed to mean? "You're not meant to do this simulation alone, Oliver. This is a teamwork section. It's supposed to be done by partners, each alternating getting from platform to platform while one watched their back and took down the drones."

His eyes widened in shock, but his mind was racing, combing through his memory of the simulation. That did make sense, and really explained his issues with completing it.

"So, want to be partners?" she asked, and he stared at her apprehensively. Why was she trying so hard? He couldn't get it. He was a playboy, a rich human idiot with no real stake in this fight and didn't know her, and yet she kept trying to get close to him, get him to open up. But he didn't want to, he couldn't. It hurt too much to think, to talk, to do anything other than work his muscles so hard they screamed and forget about the fact that he lost his dad and how shit of a human he was.

"Kara, I…" he started, but she raised her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't push you too hard to open up or anything. We'll just train, finish the simulation, that's all. Just, please? I don't wanna watch you get yourself hurt because you're too stubborn to reach out. We're a team, all of us, and you have to be able to work in one."

Dammit, she was convincing. She was staring at him with her bright green eyes practically glowing and he wanted so badly to say no but he just couldn't. So, with a sigh, he nodded, and she practically squealed and smiled so bright he swore he was gonna melt. She really was beautiful, even in fatigues with her tied up in a messy bun at who knows what time of night.

She walked over to the console, restarting the simulation, and they got to work.

Drones flew out from gaps in the walls, flying around the room. Oliver knocked an arrow, firing at one and hitting it as he rushed to the first platform. Kara followed, running forward and sliding under a drone flying at her, swinging up and hitting it in the eye.

Oliver stood back, taking out drones while she scaled the platforms in the room. He had to admit, she was impressive, agile and graceful as she moved around the room, jumping on moving platforms while avoiding drones as Oliver worked to clear at the room. Eventually, she made it to the final part of the training sim, and he was ready.

He had one job, shoot that drone before it messed up her landing. He took a deep breath, knocking the arrow back and taking aim. Breath, everything breathe, he muttered, the old adage of Yao Fei serving him well so far.

He watched the drone fly out of the wall, hurtling towards Kara. He took aim, breathed, and fired. The arrow sailed through the sky, as time seemed to slow. Then, he missed. The arrow flew right behind the drone by less than an inch, and it knocked Kara off balance and she fell.

Dammit, he swore to himself. He rushed over, guilt and anger and self-doubt flooding him. He prepared for Kara to be angry, to berate or belittle him. What he wasn't ready for, however, was her to be laughing.

"That was fun!" she was giggling, stilly lying on the ground. "It'd been a while since I took this one on, I forgot how rough it was." She hopped up, and turned her smile to a look of genuine kindness. "Hey, it took me and Alex 10 tries to get it right. You did fine. Don't beat yourself up about it. We'll just try again, how's that?"

Oliver nodded, letting a small smile grace his lips. Damn right, they'd try again.

* * *

Diggle was starting to get disheartened, on top of his intense frustration. He had been on Krypton for almost a month, and nothing. No leads, no information. Nobody had heard anything about the _Queen's Gambit _or its passengers. How does an entire ship go missing?

He walked the streets of Kandor, scanning the giant city. It was beautiful, he had to admit. Giant buildings as far as the eye could see, elegant structures that were sharp and winding of the brightest steel he had ever seen. The whole planet glowed a shade of red he was unaccustomed to, being from a yellow sun world.

Out in the distance was many mountains and plateaus, making the horizon just as gorgeous as the city skyline.

However, the beauty was overshadowed by the obvious signs of oppression. Tanks and other military vehicles were commonplace on the streets. Random people would be stopped in the streets by military police, and questioned harshly. He had even seen a fair few public executions in the streets.

He couldn't wait to leave. With a sigh, he entered his shithole hotel they had him booked in, walking past the front desk.

"Excuse me, sir?" the woman at the front desk, a mousey young woman with brown bangs and giant glasses got his attention, and he turned with a small smile and walked over.

"Yes?" he asked, and she reached behind her desk to grab a piece of paper.

"In two weeks, there will be our annual Ascension Day parade! It is mandatory for all people living in Kandor to attend, so I wanted to make sure you knew."

"Thank you," he replied, before raising an eyebrow. "Ascension Day?"

"Oh, it is our greatest holiday of the year! It's the day our great Emperor Zod took over Krypton's government, banishing the council that led Krypton to near destruction and saved the planet's core from exploding! This year marks the twelve year anniversary, and is supposed to be the most exciting parade yet!"

He nodded, absorbing the information. This could be good, a lot of people all outside meant a higher chance of learning something. He hoped. It was better than nothing, at least.

* * *

Kara would be lying if she said that she didn't head to the mess for lunch with much more pep in her step than she had had the past few weeks. She and Oliver had made those late night training sessions an official thing, four days a week, and although she was sore and tired she had slowly been getting him to talk.

With some convincing, he was even willing to sit and eat with them! It may not be much, but it was a start.

She got her food quickly, finding the table that she and her friends sat at and taking her place. With her sat Alex, Winn, Mon-El and James Ol-Zen, her friend. James was a big man, with bald hair and dark skin. Half human and half Kryptonian, James and his parents had worked for House El for years, and James jumped at the chance to fight for Kryptons freedom.

These were her friends, her family, and she hoped that Oliver could become part of that family too. He was a good guy, even though he didn't think he was, when he let it out. He told her about his sister and his friend Tommy and growing up on Earth, but he was really a great listener. He let her talk about whatever and just listened, and it was nice. With how stressful this life was, it was good to have someone to listen.

She didn't have that with Mon-El. He would try, and she adored him for it, but he just couldn't resist talking through it or changing the topic if it wasn't interesting to him. He was changing, slowly, but some certain Mon-Elisms were still there and just as annoying as when they first met.

Kara set her food down, taking a seat next to Mon-El as Oliver sat down next to Winn.

"Nice of you to join us, Oliver," James commented, reaching out to shake Oliver's hand. "James, James Ol-Zen."

Oliver shook his hand, looking around. Everyone else he already knew.

"So, Oliver, how has it been adjusting to Krypton?"

"Not bad," he answered, looking down at his food. "Haven't seen much of it. From inside all planets feel the same."

"Well, you're progressing really fast," Alex commended. "I'm sure you'll be in the field soon."

He nodded, but didn't say anything. The conversation at the table continued as normal, Oliver not really saying much the rest of the meal but obviously paying attention.

"I'm just saying," Mon-El boasted loudly. "That no way any of you could top my Adraxian Ale party story!"

"You tell it almost daily," Winn groaned, shaking his head. "It was pretty funny the first time, but by time number seven hundred and ninety eight it loses the appeal."

"I tell it because it's always funny!" Mon grinned, turning to Oliver. "How about you, Queen? Got any crazy stories?"

"My friend Tommy and I filled a pool with beer once," he replied in such an offhand tone that it took everyone a few seconds to react. Mon-El's grin dropped to a look of pure shock, Alex and Winn both burst out laughing and James just smiled.

"I want details. All of them. Give me them now," Winn turned to Oliver, pressing him into talking.

Oliver let out a light chuckle, the first time Kara had heard that, as he went into detail about how, for his friend Tommy's seventeenth birthday they thought it would be a great idea to fill their family swimming pool with beer. It had everyone at the table roaring in laughter, and even Oliver was starting to enjoy himself.

"Now it was all fine until Tommy decided to jump from the second story balcony into the pool. Idiot broke his ankle, and he was lucky," Oliver laughed, leaning back and sighing. The grin on his face started to fade so slightly she barely even noticed. But, due to how much time they had been spending together, she could tell.

"This Tommy Merlyn sounds like a fun guy," Winn laughed. "Would love to party with him sometime."

"Yeah," Oliver said barely above a whisper. "The best."

Kara opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the intercom. "_Kara, James, Winn, Alex, Mon, and Oliver to the briefing room."_

Oliver looked around at them in confusion.

"Looks like you're getting in the field sooner than we thought." Alex said, standing up. And they all filed out of the mess hall and to whatever mission was awaiting them.


End file.
